|
|
|
|
Shortage of construction material
Democracy, federalism must for peace: Experts
Patient attempts suicide
|
|
|
|
Slain scribe’s son cross-examined
College girl drowned in canal
Police action barbaric: HJC
Man tries to end life in police custody
School peon shot dead
Letter threatens to ‘expose’ CM
|
|
Shortage of construction material
Chandigarh, March 6 Sources in the mining business said that while their work had come to a complete halt, nearly 1.5 lakh labourers, too, had been rendered jobless in the state, adding that the situation was likely to prevail for another two months. Mining was shut in Haryana beginning March 1 given a pending court case. However, a fortnight before the deadline for the closure of the mines came in, the mining contractors did brisk business. “People knew that once mining operations are shut, shortage will follow suit. In anticipation, they went in for stocking of the required construction material, causing temporary shortage,” a contractor said. While mining has been shut, construction activity continues unabated, depleting the stocks available. The sources in the mining business said at any given time, there was a stock availability to tide over a fortnight only beyond which they, too, would be helpless. “Given our fast-depleting stock of construction material and the fact that it would take a couple of months for normalcy to return even if the mines are allowed to be re-opened after the March 26 hearing, we have no choice but to hike the rates of stocks at our disposal. We are expecting that the prices are likely to be hiked in about a week,” a contractor maintained. While the public is likely to suffer on account of non-availability of construction material, suffering for the idle labour, working at these mines, has already begun. With no mining operations, the contractors, too, don’t know how to gainfully employ them. “They are waiting with us. We have no option,” a contractor remarked. A majority of the mines in Haryana, auctioned for minor minerals and operational, are in Panchkula and Yamunanagar (for boulders, gravel and sand), in Ambala, Karnal, Panipat, Sonepat and Faridabad (for river sand along the Yamuna) and Rewari (for sandstone) as also in Dadri. A special leave petition was filed in the Supreme Court challenging the time allocated to Haryana by the High Court for framing of terms of reference for environmental clearance. This SLP will be taken up for hearing on March 19 after which the fate of the mines in the state will be known. The High Court, which will take up the matter again on March 26, has already expressed its inability to pass any order immediately since the hearing on the SLP is slated for March 19. |
|
Democracy, federalism must for peace: Experts
Karnal, March 6 Participants and political scientists stressed the need to strengthen the democratic institutions and federalism for political stability, growth and accommodating cultural and ethnic diversities without losing the identity. The scholars dealt in detail that how democracy, federalism and peace were intertwined, each supplementing the other and emphasised that peace and harmony could not flourish under a weak democracy. Participants from universities in Malaysia, Thailand, Nigeria and Iran discussed the growth of democratic polity in their respective countries and compared it with India. The challenges before developing democracies and achieving the goals of peace and progress also figured prominently during the deliberations. Dr Attahiru M Jegal, Vice-Chancellor, Bayero University, Kano, Nigeria, who delivered the valedictory address, compared the democracy of Nigeria with India. He also traced the history of federalism in Nigeria and challenges before it. Setting the tone for discussions at the inaugural session, Dr Arshi Khan of Aligarh Muslim University presented a wide perspective of relationship between democracy, federalism and peace and asserted that it was important to practically apply the democratic principles rather than indulging in theoretical discussions. He said: “Peace is the destination of civilisation, democracy is the horse and federalism is the rider.” Professor Anwar Alam, Director, Centre for West Asian Studies, Jamia Milia Islamia, observed that development of modernity as a discourse had destroyed the democracy and exhorted scholars to stop seeing at our democracy in the background of Europe. Chairing the technical session, V Ishwar Anand, Assistant Editor, The Tribune, talked about federalism in the state of flux and reinforcing institution of governance. He said for a successful democratic set up, three pillars of the democracy legislature, executive and the judiciary had to succeed. He also advocated enactment of law to bar entry of criminals into politics. Resource person from National University, Malaysia, Dr Kamuaruzaman Yusoff spoke about the Iranian elections held in June 2009 from the prospective of Malaysia media and said these were good from the national point of view as governance improved in the country. Prof Ranbir Singh from HIRD, Nilokheri, gave a brief account on various stages of democracy and federalism in India. |
|
Patient attempts suicide
Sirsa, March 6 Peeved at the alleged maltreatment at the hands of doctors and hospital staff, a man jumped from the building of the general hospital here late last evening. The victim, Sham Lal, is in his early fifties and was shifted to the hospital on March 2 after a road accident. “I was walking on the road near Janata Bhawan in the town in the evening on March 2, when a car hit me and its occupants escaped after leaving me in the general hospital,” said Sham Lal, who is now lying in the casualty department of the general hospital. The victim has no one to take care from the family, as his wife died long back and his three daughters are married at distant places. Sham Lal alleged that the attitude of the doctors and hospital staff was apathetic and no one cared for him, while he cried in pain. Distressed at his plight and piqued at the lackadaisical attitude of the hospital authorities, he decided to end his life and jumped from the hospital building. The jump from the hospital building has left Sham Lal with one of his leg fractured and injuries on other parts of the body. “There was no negligence in his treatment,” maintained SL Agarwal, Medical Superintendent of the General Hospital, Sirsa. “Sham Lal was admitted to the hospital some days ago and there was no relative or friend to attend to him,” Dr Agarwal added. He claimed that the patient was upset more due to own his sufferings and was making the hospital authorities a scapegoat. “Now, we have kept him in the casualty department of the hospital so that he remains under the watchful eyes of the staff round the clock,” Dr Agarwal added. |
|
Slain scribe’s son cross-examined
Sirsa, March 6 The dera chief, along with three others, is an accused in this case. The cavalcade of the dera chief arrived in the court complex amid tight security here today. The dera chief entered the video-conferencing room of the District Courts at about 10.15 am and remained there till 4 pm. The slain scribe’s younger son, Aridaman Singh, who is an eyewitness to the murder, deposed before the court today and counsel for the dera chief as well as the other accused cross-examined him. The case will now be heard on April 10. The court kept the decision on an application for the cancellation of the dera chief’s bail in three criminal cases he is facing pending for April 17. Earlier, the dera chief had appeared in the court in this case yesterday and in connection with the Ranjit Singh murder case on March 4. The Ranjit Singh murder case has now been listed for March 25. The dera chief will have to appear in the court again on March 13.
|
|
College girl drowned in canal
Karnal, March 6 A resident of Vishnu Niwas, Gurunanak Pura, Sanju had gone to college around 8 am and the tragic incident took place at 9 am, eyewitnesses said. Whether she slipped into the canal or jumped into it could not be known and the police is making investigations to ascertain the cause of drowning. Sources said she was seen falling into the canal by some people, who rushed towards the bank. Her identity was established with the help of the documents in her bag, which was lying on the bank. She was swept by the strong currents of the canal water. Her body is yet to be recovered. The police has pressed divers to locate the missing girl and the flow of the canal has been blocked to check the body from getting washed away. The incident has sent shock waves in the locality and the distraught family members are yet to come to terms with the tragedy.
|
|
Police action barbaric: HJC
Yamunanagar, March 6 However, they were brutally beaten up by the police to suppress the party demand, he added. ROHTAK: The state unit of the CPM has condemned the lathicharge on HJC workers. In a statement issued here, party state secretary Inderjit Singh described the use of police force as brutal.
|
|
Man tries to end life in police custody
Ambala, March 6 He was taken to the Civil Hospital at Ambala City, from where he was referred to the PGI, Chandigarh. Rajinder told mediapersons that the police had rounded up him on February 26 and he was allegedly being tortured. He said he had consumed a bottle of acid lying in the toilet of the police station. Naresh Kumar, SHO, Sadar police station, Ambala City, said Rajinder was misguiding the mediapersons. He said Rajinder along with Ravinderjit and Ravi Bansal were nabbed from the GT road near Ambala City on Friday. Two of their trailers and the fake documents were also impounded. |
|
School peon shot dead
Sonepat, March 6 Satish, who was seriously injured, was taken to a government hospital at Narela by the school authorities, from where the doctors referred him to Lok Nayak Jai Prakash Narayan hospital in Delhi where he breathed his last. A case of murder has been registered against the alleged accused, who reportedly fled the spot after the incident. Satish was a resident of Chhatehra Majra village. |
|
Letter threatens to ‘expose’ CM
Karnal, March 6 The letter purportedly written by Farzul Rehman alleged that the earlier letter sent by him to local MLA Sumita Singh threatening to carry out serial blasts during the marriage of Deepender Singh Hooda, son of the Chief Minister, if the state lottery was not revived within 15 days. The writer of the letter received at the office of a Hindi daily, which was written in broken Hindi, said he was a Congressman and possessed objectionable CD which would be aired on TV channels soon.
— TNS |
|
|
| HOME PAGE | |
Punjab | Haryana | Jammu & Kashmir |
Himachal Pradesh | Regional Briefs |
Nation | Opinions | | Business | Sports | World | Letters | Chandigarh | Ludhiana | Delhi | | Calendar | Weather | Archive | Subscribe | Suggestion | E-mail | |
A well-grounded democracy and federalism are a must for peace and progress. This was the essence of the deliberations at the three-day international conference on “Democracy, Federalism and Peace: Experience of India and other countries” that concluded in Dyal Singh College here today.
